Three people in Hampton Roads win big bucks from the Virginia Lottery

Janice Vick of Portsmouth was on her lunch break at work when she found out she’d won $250,000. Her co-workers got to share the excitement.

“Nobody could believe it,” she said. “It was just a great day!”

Ms. Vick matched the first five numbers in the December 28 Mega Millions drawing with a ticket she bought at Wilco Food Mart, 3920 Portsmouth Blvd. in Chesapeake.

The winning numbers for that drawing were 10-13-32-40-41, Mega Ball 32. She used Easy Pick and let the computer select her numbers at random.

Ms. Vick, who works in the bakery at Farm Fresh, was one of five second-prize winners nationwide in that drawing, and the only one in Virginia. If she had matched one more number – the Mega Ball number – she would have won a jackpot estimated at $25 million.

The odds of winning the $250,000 prize in Mega Millions are 1 in 3,904,701.

Steven Henderson needed some change so he could put air in his car tires. That’s how he ended up in the Fast Food Mart at 4137 Indian River Road in Chesapeake. While he was there, he bought a $150 Grand Scratcher ticket from the Virginia Lottery. That ticket ended up winning the $150,000 top prize.

“I scratched it, and next thing you know, my heart starts beating!” he told Lottery officials as he claimed his prize.

Mr. Henderson, who works in commercial remodeling, said he has no immediate plans for his winnings.

$150 Grand is one of dozens of Scratcher games from the Virginia Lottery. It features prizes ranging from $5 all the way up to $150,000. This is the first top prize claimed in $150 Grand, which means four top-prize tickets remain unclaimed.

Jim McKay was on his way to a hunting trip when he stopped to pick up some milk. He also bought a Virginia’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket. That turned out to be a very successful hunting trip for the Newport News man. He didn’t bag any game, but the Raffle ticket won $50,000.

He bought the ticket, #425690, at the 7-Eleven at 14865 George Washington Highway in Glenns.

His ticket was one of four $50,000 winners in the January 1 drawing. The other three were bought in Chester, Hampton and Dayton.

An additional four tickets each won $1 million in Virginia’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle. Those tickets were bought in Springfield, Midlothian, Highland Springs and Broadway.